


More Unfortunate

by ozuttly



Series: Unfortunate Circumstances [2]
Category: Kamen Rider Ex-Aid
Genre: Alternate Universe, Biting, Character Turned Into Vampire, Hiiro suffers a lot, M/M, Masamune is a terrible person, Mind Control, Soul Bond, Vampires, bodily autonomy issues, this is a fair bit darker than the first part
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-06-03
Updated: 2019-06-15
Packaged: 2020-04-07 09:06:08
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 2
Words: 6,949
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19081891
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ozuttly/pseuds/ozuttly
Summary: As soon as the thought comes to him, he gets an idea. It’s a terrible, terrible idea, and he knows that Hiiro would hate it. But if he doesn’t do it, Hiiro won’t be alive to hate anything, and there’s no way Kiriya is putting Emu through that. There’s no way he’s putting himself through that, with how close Hiiro has become to his heart over the past few months. So he motions for Taiga to move away.In which the final fight against Masamune goes very, very wrong, and Kiriya has to make a hard decision.





	1. Chapter 1

In the end, things can’t stay peaceful forever. 

Even after the final showdown with Emu and Pallad, and Pallad joining the CR team, Dan Masamune’s mutating virus is still a threat. It’s one that the CR can’t afford to take sitting down, and they move as a unit to take him down so that they can manufacture a cure to his viral strain. With Kuroto working on a version of the vaccine using Poppy’s blood that can be mass distributed without the need for surgery, eliminating Masamune is the last step on the way to actually getting rid of the vampire public health threat. 

Hiiro is more invested than most when it comes to finally taking Masamune down, for obvious reasons. Kiriya and Emu know why, but they can’t really understand - not fully - just how humiliating and terrifying being claimed was. While he’s happy to have them in his life as a result of what happened, he would never, ever wish that experience on anyone. 

But Hiiro is only human, and he knows that when the final fight comes, he and Taiga are going to be taking a backseat to Emu, Pallad and Kiriya. Their main focus is on maintaining the perimeter and making sure that civilians don’t get involved in the fight while providing support. Hiiro doesn’t like it, not being able to settle things with Masamune himself, but he understands why it’s necessary. 

So when they finally manage to quarantine the infected section of the city and Masamune’s office, Hiiro and Taiga remain outside. Their job isn’t easy by any means – the number of infected trying to fight their way to their master is high, and they can’t let any of them get into the building – but it’s not nearly as treacherous as taking on the master vampire himself, even with a master of their own on their side.

Hiiro trusts Emu and Kiriya to hold their own, but he still worries about them, even when a lesser vampire’s claws tear through the outer shell of his chest plate. It’s dangerous, but the broken piece only gets in the way of his fighting, so he tears the whole thing off and tosses it aside. He chances a few too many glances back up at the office building, and Taiga ends up saving him from a surprise attack when he’s not paying enough attention. 

“Keep your head in the game!” He scolds as he shoots another infectant that’s coming up behind him, and Hiiro swallows as he nods. Taiga is right, he needs to focus on what he’s doing now, rather than what could be happening up there. It’s difficult, but he just needs to have faith in his boyfriends and hope that they can manage on their own. 

A few minutes later, it becomes evident that they’re not managing as well as Hiiro had hoped, when Kiriya crashes through the top floor window. Hiiro curses and calls for Taiga to give him the gear dual so that he can use Taddle Fantasy’s ‘magic’, but the other rider is being swamped by vampires and can’t get it to him in time. 

Kiriya manages to equip jet combat mid-air to slow his descent, but he can’t actually stop on time and he hits the ground hard. Hiiro shoves the infected out of the way to go to him, but then Emu is thrown through a window a few floors down, and even though he’s still catching his breath, Kiriya takes off to catch him. Emu is half human, after all, and falling from that height would certainly kill him. 

It drives Hiiro insane, knowing that there’s nothing he can do but watch, but then the door behind him shatters spectacularly, and Pallad skids across the front entrance way of the building, half of his armour ripped away and his right arm broken in at least three places. His helmet is busted in, and while Hiiro is still worried about Emu, he trusts Kiriya to take care of him and runs to help their trump card instead. 

“Pallad,” he calls out as he reaches the other master vampire and yanks his broken helmet off. Pallad groans, blood staining his face and sticking to his hair in clumps, and Hiiro worries he might be concussed before his eyes snap open. 

“Emu,” Pallad exhales, fear evident in his tone, but Kiriya has caught him and is landing several meters away. Hiiro sighs in relief, only for his breath to hitch in his throat as the cause of all this appears in front of him. 

Dan Masamune’s suit is only slightly disheveled as he looks down at Hiiro, a disappointed frown on his face. 

“Taddle Legacy,” he says, clicking his tongue in distaste. “You know, I always wondered how you managed to escape my claim.” 

Hiiro grips his sword, gritting his teeth. His hand is shaking, he knows it, and though he can hear Emu calling for him, all he can focus on is the man in front of him. 

“So you’re owned by those two now instead, hmm?” Masamune continues, and Hiiro growls low in his throat. 

“I’m not owned by anyone,” he snaps as he attacks, but even with the enhanced speed provided by the rider gear he’s easily sidestepped. 

“Oh no, of course not,” Masamune says patronizingly, a somewhat lopsided and cruel smirk on his face. “Although if all you wanted was for someone to fuck you, I would have happily obliged.” 

He can’t let it get to him, Hiiro reminds himself as he attacks again. He leads Masamune away from Pallad, and the flutter of fear and warning he feels in his chest doesn’t belong to him. He sends reassurance back over their link, though, trying to emphasize to Emu that saving Pallad was their priority. Without him they wouldn’t stand a chance, and though Emu looks like he wants to argue, he and Kiriya quickly grab Pallad and begin to carry him to safety as Taiga backs them up.

Luckily, Masamune seems more intent on humiliating Hiiro than killing him. He laughs as he steps out of the way of another blow, looking almost bored as he does so. 

“You know, Taddle Legacy, it’s a shame that you never lived up to my expectations. I would offer you another chance to prove yourself, but, well, I’ve already disposed of your girlfriend’s body, so there’s not much point, is there?” He says, teasing, and Hiiro can’t help the rage building in his chest as he slashes uselessly again. This time, though, Masamune grabs him by the wrist and twists, pulling him in close. Hiiro gasps as his wrist snaps neatly, and he bites down on the cry that threatens to escape as he’s pressed up to Masamune’s chest. “Although it seems like a waste to just get rid of you so easily. I did quite like you.” 

Hiiro’s breath comes in sharp pants as he tries to focus on the feeling of Emu and Kiriya rather than the pain of his wrist, sending reassuring waves even through his own fear. He needs to buy them enough time to get Pallad to the CR, and then he can escape. He just needs to wait a little bit longer--

“I don’t like being ignored, you know,” Masamune says in his ear, and Hiiro gasps as he feels a sudden pain in his chest. He can’t think for an instant, his mind clouding over completely. He looks down dumbly, uncomprehending as he sees Masamune’s hand buried just below his rib cage, right where his chest plate would have been if he hadn’t taken it off earlier when it broke. It feels like his entire body is in a fog for a few seconds before the searing pain sets in. Hiiro tries to scream but it only comes out as a wet gurgle as blood bubbles up in his mouth. 

“Oops,” Masamune whispers, pulling his hand out and leaving a sizable hole in Hiiro as he does so. Hiiro thinks that he can feel fear and alarm that isn’t his, but he can’t focus on any of it. He wants to reassure his partners that he’s fine, but every time he tries to grasp the feeling to convey he ends up confused and disoriented instead. Maybe he’s not fine. 

“I think we’ll leave it here for today,” Masamune says, drawing his attention as he wipes his bloodied hand on Hiiro’s suit. It’s only when he stands up that Hiiro realizes that he’s on the ground now, laying in a growing pool of his own blood. He gurgles again, but Masamune just pats him patronizingly on the cheek before retreating to the office building. 

Taiga comes back right at that moment, and Hiiro can hear shouting, can feel hands on his body, but he can’t actually pay attention to any of it as he drifts out of consciousness. 

He’s only vaguely aware of everything that happens after that. 

No ambulance arrives because of the quarantine, but Taiga manages to move him somewhere safer, muttering about how he’s a radiologist, not a surgeon. He hears Kiriya, which doesn’t make sense because he was supposed to have taken Pallad to the CR with Emu. Something soft and soothing washes over him like a balm and he nods off again. 

*** 

Emu feels like he’s going to throw up. 

Ever since feeling the spike of pain over their connection, Kiriya insisted he take Pallad back by himself before taking off on his own. Emu had very much disliked that decision, and had been prepared to argue, but the truth was that taking care of Pallad was a priority. He had been the one to get the most damage in during their fight, and they needed him if they were to launch a counterattack after this. 

Though with how this fight went, it was hard to be optimistic about that. 

Pallad, at least, healed as fast as any master vampire, and was able to walk now with Emu as a crutch. Said healing brought up another issue, though, and Pallad grit his teeth as he led Emu over to a park bench.

“You need to set my arm now, Emu,” he says, and Emu allows himself to feel surprise and apprehension for about two seconds before he nods. He’d long since dropped his rider transformation, and he pulls off his doctor’s coat to make a sling and takes off his belt before going back to Pallad.

The vampire is sweating, and there’s still a worrying amount of blood on his head and face, but he seems more alert and healthier than he was just ten minutes ago, which is a good sign. Emu takes a deep breath before handing Pallad his belt to bite down on. 

There’s three separate breaks that Emu can see, but he can’t tell without an x-ray for certain. It’s worrying, but all he can do is set the bone so that it heals correctly into place and then get Pallad back to the CR for a blood bag. He doesn’t have a splint or anything to hold the bone in place, but he hopes that once it’s set Pallad’s healing will be enough to keep it that way.

The sound is what gets to him the worst, when the bones snap wetly back into place. Sure, he’s done this before, but it’s a lot more personal when the one he’s helping is Pallad, his other half, the one person in the world who knows and has known him better than anyone else. He doesn’t cry, even though he kind of wants to, and Pallad squeezes his shoulder with his good hand. 

It’s a good thing Emu had thought to give him the belt, because his fangs have torn right through the leather. Emu can only imagine how painful it would have been without it, but he tries not to think about it as he helps Pallad to his feet. Thinking about pain only makes him worry more about Hiiro and Kiriya, especially now that the feelings in his chest have grown distant and fuzzy. He doesn’t know what’s happening or even if either of them are ok, and it worries him.

“We have to get back to the CR,” he says firmly, because action is the only thing that can soothe him at the moment, and Pallad nods, leaning on him as he pulls out his communicator and lets Poppy know that their mission was a complete failure. 

The last thing he feels over their connection before he grows too far away for it to work is an overwhelming sense of guilt, and it doesn’t make him feel any better.

*** 

At first, Kiriya worries about finding Hiiro. He goes back to Masamune’s office courtyard only to see the infected swarming around bloodstains on the ground, and no other riders in sight. 

He isn’t well enough himself after his fall to chance a fight with them, and he leaves quickly before he’s noticed. There was a lot of blood there. More than a person could lose without it having some serious consequences, and he tries his best to keep his spike of worry to himself as he tries to pick up the scent he knows – Hiiro, sweet to the point of almost being too much, with a hint of lavender from the shampoo he uses – over the overwhelming stench of blood. 

It’s difficult, and when he catches it it’s faint, but he manages to follow it away from the building and to an alleyway about a block away, still in the quarantine zone. There’s no vampires here, luckily, just Taiga desperately trying to staunch Hiiro’s bleeding as they hide out of the way of the main street. 

Kiriya can’t breathe when he sees the hole in Hiiro’s chest, because god, even if they were in the sterile surgery back at the hospital there’s no way anyone could fix that. Except maybe Hiiro, but a fat lot of good that does them. 

“How is he?” He asks Taiga as he steps in close, his fingers barely brushing against Hiiro’s cheek as his eyelids flutter open and closed deliriously. Taiga looks grim as he looks up at him and shakes his head, confirming what Kiriya had feared.  
Kiriya kneels beside Hiiro, taking over the job of trying to staunch the bloodflow, but even from here he can hear that Hiiro’s pulse is thin and thready, just barely hanging on. In truth, Kiriya’s surprised he’s lasted so far, but maybe that has to do with him being bound--

As soon as the thought comes to him, he gets an idea. It’s a terrible, terrible idea, and he knows that Hiiro would hate it. But if he doesn’t do it, Hiiro won’t be alive to hate anything, and there’s no way Kiriya is putting Emu through that. There’s no way he’s putting himself through that, with how close Hiiro has become to his heart over the past few months. So he motions for Taiga to move away.

Taiga looks hesitant, but after a second of indecision he obeys, and Kiriya leans in closer to Hiiro, brushing his hair out of his eyes. 

“Ok, Hiiro, you’re gonna need to work with me here,” Kiriya says as he bites down hard on his own tongue. He just hopes Hiiro is well enough to swallow as he leans in and kisses him, his free hand massaging his throat. 

For a second Hiiro doesn’t respond, and Kiriya feels real, true fear well up within him, but then his tongue curls along Kiriya’s own, searching it out, and he relaxes the tiniest bit. Good, it’s working. As terrible of an option as this is, it’s working, and Kiriya doesn’t have to worry about Hiiro dying on them. Whether or not he forgives Kiriya for this is another matter, but for now he can’t allow himself to think about that. 

Instead he allows his claws to grow free, even as Taiga gives his hands a nervous look, and he draws a line along his wrist. More blood wells up from there, and Hiiro is actively suckling on Kiriya’s tongue now, and he whines at the loss when Kiriya pulls away. 

“It’s ok, here-- Good boy,” Kiriya says in low, soothing tones as he raises his bleeding wrist to Hiiro’s lips. Hiiro latches on without a second thought, licking desperately at the wound and teasing the jagged edge of the flesh with his tongue. Taiga looks disgusted from where he’s watching, as well as very wary. 

“What are you doing?” He asks, the nerves clear in his voice, but Kiriya tries to focus on Hiiro instead, sending soothing feelings through their bond as he strokes his hair with his free hand. 

“I’m saving his life,” Kiriya says, and Taiga doesn’t look convinced, but he at least watches quietly. Hiiro groans and wiggles a little bit to get better access to Kiriya’s wrist, and when the wound starts to close he digs his teeth in, making Kiriya grunt at the pain. 

It’s working, though. Kiriya chances moving the wad of cloth he’s holding against Hiiro’s chest to see that the gaping hole that was once there is almost completely closed. Taiga sees it too, and he draws in a sharp breath, but Hiiro is more concerned with getting more blood. 

His fangs are starting to grow in, which makes the second bite hurt less, but it still aches a bit when he sinks his teeth into Kiriya’s forearm. The colour is starting to come back to his face, though, which is a good sign, and Kiriya gently shifts him into a sitting position before he pulls his arm away. He can’t afford to give anymore than that, though Hiiro whines and reaches for him again, his eyes fluttering open. He doesn’t look like he’s all there, though, his pupils dilated and his eyes not quite focusing on anything but the hint of blood left smeared on Kiriya’s arm. 

“That’s enough for now,” Kiriya says, and then he takes a deep breath. He doesn’t want to do this, never ever wanted to do this, but he takes advantage of their bond – both the old one and the new one forming – and whispers ‘go to sleep’ into Hiiro’s ear. 

Hiiro immediately closes his eyes and drifts off, curling into Kiriya as he does. Kiriya feels horribly guilty, having sworn that he would never take away Hiiro’s free will, but right now he needs him to rest until they get to the CR. 

Taiga is looking at him with a fiercely judging expression on his face, and Kiriya ignores it as he gathers Hiiro up in his arms. He stumbles a little bit as he steps out onto the main street, but luckily Taiga steadies him before he can fall over. 

“I don’t approve of what you just did,” he hisses in Kiriya’s ear, even though Kiriya’s sure that Taiga doesn’t even know the full implications of it. To be honest Kiriya doesn’t even know if he himself approves of his actions, but it was the only thing he could think of doing, and maybe he panicked a little bit. 

“He’s alive, though,” Kiriya says, half to Taiga and half to himself to convince himself he’s done the right thing. Hiiro presses into Kiriya’s body as they make their way to the edge of the quarantine zone so they can get a car back to the CR. Kiriya doesn’t bother calling an ambulance – it’s not like they actually need one anymore. 

*** 

Emu and Pallad are already at the CR when Kiriya arrives with Hiiro, having dropped Taiga off at his clinic so he can check in with Nico. Kiriya knows that the two of them look absolutely terrible; there’s dried blood crusted on his hands, but Hiiro has the worst of it. They hadn’t canceled his rider transformation yet and his gear is absolutely wrecked. The gashat will need definite repairs before he can even think of using it again, and Kiriya is loathe to imagine what Kuroto will say when he sees it. 

Emu’s hand is on Pallad’s knee when they walk in, but as soon as he sees Hiiro he jumps to his feet. 

“Kiriya! Hiiro!” he cries out, his hands shaking as he cups Hiiro’s face, but the surgeon hardly responds. Kiriya wonders if he has to order him awake since he ordered him asleep, and he feels a little bit sick at the thought. 

“He’s fi… He’s alive, Emu,” Kiriya says, unable to lie to his boyfriend. “But we need a few bloodbags first.” 

Emu immediately nods and turns around, chewing on his lower lip. 

“Does he need a transfusion? I can’t remember his blood type, was it A?” He asks, but Pallad’s eyes are locked onto Hiiro, and Kiriya can just tell that he knows. 

“I doubt it matters anymore,” Pallad says, at the same time that Kiriya says “No, it’s for me.” 

Emu freezes, and god, Kiriya wishes that Pallad would let him be the one to break this news to Emu. He deserves that much, to hear it from the source. Hiiro’s head lulls against Kiriya’s shoulder, and he carries him over to the couch. Pallad thankfully moves to the table as Kiriya lays Hiiro down.  
“What do you mean, Pallad?” Emu asks slowly, and Kiriya fights the urge to groan. Pallad, at least, locks eyes with him for a moment, searching, and then shakes his head. 

“Let him tell you,” he says, and Kiriya is thankful for the rare show of respect. 

“Just get the bloodbags first,” he says, and Emu looks like he wants to argue, but Kiriya feels dead on his feet, and he must have looked it because Emu leaves the room to do as he asked. 

Pallad remains, and his eyes trail over Hiiro’s prone form on the couch. 

“You’re not even a master,” he comments offhandedly, and Kiriya grits his teeth.

“I know,” he says, and he does know. He’s not weak, not a lesser vampire by any means, but he’s not nearly as powerful as Pallad or Masamune, or even Poppy. If he had been thinking straight, he would have had Pallad do this instead, but there had been no time for that. 

“Have you ever had a thrall before?” Pallad asks, and Kiriya gives him a dirty look. Of course he hasn’t, he’s just barely strong enough to have one, and he’s sure that if Hiiro hadn’t been claimed by him and Emu that it wouldn’t have worked. But Pallad is on their side now, and it’s not his fault he’s naturally irritating, or that this has been the worst day ever, so he swallows down his anger and shakes his head. 

“Have you?” He asks, a hint of his own curiosity coming through, and Pallad nods. 

“Graphite,” he says, and Kiriya is a bit surprised. He had had no idea, had thought that Graphite was a vampire in his own right, and it spoke volumes to Pallad’s power if that was possible. That in turn made Kiriya wonder just how astronomically strong Masamune was, to have wiped the floor with all three of them like that. 

Kiriya wonders if he should give some sort of platitude, some kind of ‘sorry for your loss’, seeing as Hiiro had played a role in killing Graphite, even if it was Nico who delivered the final blow. Somehow he doubts that Pallad would appreciate it, though. 

Emu comes back at that moment, a stormy look on his face as he pulls a blood bag out of the cooler he’s carrying and hands it to Kiriya, who gets the feeling that he might have let a little too much slip through the bond the two of them share. Or maybe Emu just put two and two together himself. 

“You enthralled him, didn’t you?” He asks, confirming Kiriya’s suspicions, and he can only nod. Emu takes in a sharp breath, and for a second he seems like he wants to yell, but he swallows it down. Pallad looks like he wants to reach for him, to comfort him, but Emu is in no mood to be coddled. He sits at the table alone, his eyes on Hiiro as Kiriya tears into the blood bag. 

It takes two bags before Kiriya feels like an actual person again, but he drinks down three just as a precaution before he heads over to the couch and nudges Hiiro aside so he can sit down next to him. Emu hesitates, like he’s not sure if he should be over there or not, before he too heads over to the couch, kneeling in front of it. 

Kiriya brushes Hiiro’s hair out of his face, leans in close and whispers ‘you can wake up now’ next to his ear. For a second he remains quiet, but then Hiiro’s eyes slowly open, and he looks between Kiriya and Emu in disorientation. 

“What happened?” He mumbles as he sits up to make room for Emu on the couch beside him, and Emu and Kiriya both look away. Hiiro’s eyes narrow, but he’s still shaking off the aftereffects of sleep, and he finds it surprisingly hard to focus on things. 

“You were hurt,” Kiriya begins after a minute, and Hiiro nods, because he remembers that. He remembers Masamune stabbing him, and then everything goes fuzzy. No matter how hard he tries to draw on the memories of what happens next, all he can recall is warmth and satisfaction, and a sense of calming rightness that he can’t quite describe. 

That feeling is gone now, replaced by something darker and hungrier. He wants… something, but he doesn’t know what. That in and of itself is a worrying indicator of what happened, and he swallows heavily as he stares at Kiriya. 

“What did you do?” He asks, his voice quiet, and even though he thinks he knows the answer he wants to hear Kiriya say it. His hands clench into fists at his sides, and he ignores the hand that Emu puts on his shoulder. 

“You were going to die!” Kiriya snaps, frustrated, but all Hiiro can feel is an overwhelming sense of dread. 

“What did you do?!” he asks again, his voice pitching up at the end, and Kiriya bites down on his lower lip before he takes a deep breath. 

“I… infected you,” he says quietly, and Hiiro closes his eyes. He knew it. He hadn’t wanted to think that Kiriya would actually do something like that, but he supposes that he understands a little bit. If it had been to save his life, he can forgive it. After all… 

“Ok. That’s ok,” He says slowly, and Kiriya looks genuinely surprised by his answer. “You’re right here, we just need to generate the cure.” 

Emu squeezes his shoulder tightly then, and Hiiro can feel his stomach drop as Kiriya nervously licks his lips. He doesn’t think he’s ever actually seen Kiriya nervous before, and he knows that he’s radiating anxiety through their connection. 

“It’s a different kind of infection,” Emu explains, trying to find the right words. “It can’t be cured the way that we normally do… I don’t know if there’s a way to cure it at all, because your cells have already mutated...” His voice trails off, and Hiiro can only focus on Kiriya, and the fact that he did this. He did this, despite knowing how Hiiro feels about the infection, about how much it’s taken from him. Before he can stop himself his lip curls back in an angry snarl, and he goes to lunge forward--

But he can’t. Something inside him is preventing him from moving, preventing him from hurting his master – no, Kiriya, not his master, he doesn’t have a master, he isn’t owned. Except maybe he is, because every cell in his body rebels at the idea of hurting Kiriya, of even going against him, and it makes Hiiro feel like he’s going to throw up. Kiriya looks guilty and concerned at the same time, and he goes to put a hand on Hiiro’s shoulder, but Hiiro immediately shrugs him off. 

“Please don’t touch me,” he croaks out, feeling on the verge of tears as he leans into Emu behind him. Emu didn’t do this to him, Emu didn’t betray his trust, Emu is safe, but right now he can’t look Kiriya in the eye. 

A flare of hurt flashes over their connection before abruptly cutting off, and Kiriya nods his head. 

“I’ll give you some time,” he says quietly as he stands up and leaves the room. The sun isn’t due up for a few hours yet, and god, Hiiro hasn’t even considered the fact that this means he won’t be able to do his job as a surgeon anymore. 

Emu rubs soothing circles into his shoulders, and Hiiro tries to take deep breaths, but it doesn’t really work. He just knows that he can’t let himself cry, because if he cries now then he won’t be able to stop, and he won’t show that weakness in front of Emu and Pallad.


	2. Chapter 2

Kiriya stays out of the CR until almost morning, when he returns with two blood bags. The sight of them makes Hiiro’s stomach roil, and he’s not sure if it’s out of disgust or longing. Emu has already gone home to rest for the remainder of the evening, and Pallad is in the back room that they’ve fashioned into a dorm of sorts, sleeping, so it’s only the two of them here. 

Emu had stayed and rubbed Hiiro’s back for a good hour or so, helping him to calm down and ease the nerves inside of him. Now that Kiriya is back, so is the anxiety. Hiiro doesn’t want to be as angry with him as he is, really. He knows that he didn’t do what he did out of malicious reasons, but Hiiro still isn’t ready to actually forgive him for it. 

He does, however, feel a sense of worry when Kiriya takes off his sunglasses to reveal a black eye. 

“What happened?” He asks immediately, the fear he feels almost a foreign sensation. Kiriya is a vampire, a hit like that should heal quickly enough, but still--

“Your dad punched me,” Kiriya says, and Hiiro feels nauseous. He had planned on telling his father about this himself, but in a case like this incident reports would of course need to be filed. He’d spoken to him earlier, back in the privacy of the dorm where Haima had cried openly. It had made it incredibly difficult to keep his composure, but Hiiro had somehow managed it, at least until he left to attend to his other duties. He himself had cried then. He was sure that his eyes were still red and puffy from it, but Kiriya doesn’t say anything about it. 

“I’m sorry,” Hiiro says quietly, and Kiriya shrugs his jacket off his shoulders and hangs it up in his locker. 

“Don’t be, I deserved it,” he says. Hiiro’s mouth twists and he can’t stop himself from replying. 

“You did,” he says, and Kiriya’s shoulders stiffen ever so slightly.

“If you say something about how you would have rather died instead, I’ll punch you this time,” he warns, and Hiiro actually scoffs. He had thought about that – rather extensively, actually. 

“No,” he says, and Kiriya visibly relaxes. “I’m still not happy about the situation. I’m… I’m really angry. I know that you did what you had to to save my life but I’m still mad at you. I can’t just pretend that I’m ok with everything because you had good intentions.”

It’s the best way he has to explain it, and Kiriya hesitates for a second, standing across the room like he’s not sure if he’s ok to come closer. Hiiro stares back at him, giving no indication, and eventually he takes the few steps and sits down on the couch next to him, handing him one of the bags he’s holding. 

Hiiro recoils at first, but then reluctantly takes it, turning it over in his hands and taking in the lack of ID number and barcode the CR uses for inventory. 

“Where did you get this?” he asks, suspicious, and Kiriya shrugs his shoulders as he points his thumb towards his own chest. 

“Straight from the tap,” he says, and Hiiro feels like he should be disgusted. He hadn’t minded Kiriya drinking his blood in the past, but the reverse should be unthinkable. Strangely, though, the thought of drinking from his master (god he wishes he could stop that automatic thought, he hates it so much) eases his anxiety considerably. He knows it’s the infection influencing him, which is upsetting in a different way, but he can’t deny the craving in the back of his throat as he takes the bag from Kiriya and tears it open. 

He expects it to taste terrible. It’s blood, after all, and he’s tasted his own on enough occasions to know that it doesn’t exactly taste pleasant. But that’s another thing the infection must have altered about his physiology, because once he takes the first sip he’s lost. He downs the entire bag within a few minutes, licking his lips to desperately get whatever’s leftover. Kiriya hands him the second bag and he drinks it down just as fast, resisting the urge to rip open the plastic and lick the inside like some kind of animal. 

He has other urges too, though. He feels similar to how he used to feel when Kiriya would drink from him, fuzzy and lightheaded and warm. But this is different, too; there’s a need there, in the back of his head, to please Kiriya. To make him feel good, too, and before he can think about what he’s doing he leans over and kisses him. 

Kiriya is shocked, and for a second Hiiro is disappointed that he’s not reciprocating. He sends that feeling over their link as he crawls into a dumbfounded Kiriya’s lap, but he’s also terrified of his own actions. He doesn’t understand why he’s behaving the way he is, he’s still mad at Kiriya. But right now he just has the overwhelming urge to please, and Kiriya quickly grabs him by the shoulders and pushes him away. 

“Hey, Hiiro, you’re not thinking straight,” he says calmly, his fingers digging ever so slightly into Hiiro’s shoulders, and Hiiro whines. He wants to kiss Kiriya again, to make him feel good, but Kiriya firmly holds him at arm’s length until his mind begins to clear. 

Hiiro immediately feels ashamed. His eyes widen as the realization of how he just acted sets in, and Kiriya looks both concerned and pitying, which somehow makes it all worse.

“What’s happening?” Hiiro croaks out, feeling his hands start to shake. He wishes he got the same kind of instinctual knowledge of vampire culture that the others seemed to all have, but that particular gene seems to have eluded him for some awful reason. Kiriya makes a soothing sound as he loosens his grip on Hiiro’s shoulders, and Hiiro hates how it immediately makes him feel better. 

“It’s… complicated,” Kiriya explains slowly, and Hiiro just fixes him with a glare that says ‘enlighten me’. He still feels the need to crawl into his lap, be closer to him than he is, but it’s at least controllable now. He stays in place, waiting, and Kiriya chews on his lower lip for a second before taking a deep breath. 

“The way I infected you isn’t the normal way the infection spreads,” Kiriya begins slowly, and Hiiro nods. He had gathered that from the way that Emu and the others had talked about it, though he didn’t know what it actually meant. “What I did creates a stronger connection between us. It means you can only drink from me, and it strengthened the bond we already had. Usually only masters can do this sort of thing, but you were dying and I didn’t know what else to do--”

“It makes me want to please you,” Hiiro says, cutting him off, and Kiriya slowly nods. He at least looks a bit ashamed, but somehow Hiiro doesn’t have it in him to give him that credit. “I can’t make my own decisions around you anymore, I automatically want to put you first. It makes your well being and happiness more important than my own.” 

Kiriya looks downright guilty now, and Hiiro bites the inside of his cheek to keep from apologizing. There’s no doubt that Kiriya can feel the turbulent emotions inside of him, and he’s glad that Emu is asleep because he doesn’t want his interference right now, as well meaning as it would be. 

“I think I’m going to go back to my apartment,” he says, and Kiriya looks up at him in surprise. 

“Hiiro you can’t leave the CR, it’s past sunrise,” Kiriya argues, but Hiiro stands up anyways, ignoring the way that his legs feel all wobbly. 

“I don’t mean right now. But I don’t want to stay here. I’ll have the windows blacked out or something...” It sounds silly and whimsical to his own ears. As if his apartment building would allow something like that. Kiriya seems just as skeptical. 

“It’s a lot safer here. You shouldn’t be on your own right now,” he warns, but Hiiro shakes off the reassuring hand that he tries to put on his shoulder. 

“Kujou,” he begins, and Kiriya actually flinches at the use of his last name, something that Hiiro hasn’t done for months now. “I want some time away from you to process this.” 

He can feel Kiriya’s hurt over their connection and he immediately wants to apologize. But he doesn’t even know if it’s because he really wants to apologize or because of his bizarre urge to make Kiriya feel better. He bites his tongue. 

Kiriya is silent for a good minute before he finally sighs and nods his head.

“At least go stay with Emu,” he says, his voice soft and pleading. “He has a windowless store room, I’m sure we could clear it out and put a bed in there or something. Please, I want you to have someone around for support, if you need it.” 

Hiiro feels choked up by the concern, and he fights down the overwhelming urge to cry. 

“Alright,” He agrees. He’s pretty sure Emu would agree to it, and they had briefly discussed the idea of all living together if Kiriya ever managed to be cured anyways. 

Hiiro isn’t sure if that’s still an option at this point, but he closes his eyes and takes a deep breath before heading over to the dorm so that he can at least get some sleep for the day. 

*** 

Emu is more than willing to have Hiiro stay over. When Kiriya brings the suggestion up to him the next evening he brightens up immediately, turning a smile on Hiiro that makes his knees feel weak. 

“Of course you can stay. I just need to move some things around, but there’s not really much in there. We can move you in tonight, if you want,” he says brightly, and Hiiro nods his head. He doesn’t really have the energy to be as optimistic as Emu is, but he appreciates his attitude. The normalcy of it is nice. 

True normalcy would also have involved Kiriya hanging around nearby and offering a little smirk and his own brand of reassurance, but he’s been kind enough to give Hiiro a few nights on his own to really process things. 

Hiiro is grateful for it. His mind is still all jumbled up and the reality of the situation, that he has to quit his job and can’t see the sun again, still hasn’t really set in yet. For now, he wants to cling to the sanctuary of Emu’s apartment for as long as he can. 

He needs to drink again first, though. Luckily Kiriya isn’t in the room, which he hopes will minimize the side effects. Emu squeezes his shoulder reassuringly as he tears open the bag that Kiriya left. 

The smell is far more appetizing than it has any right to be, and Hiiro finds himself salivating without meaning to as he brings the straw to his lips. Emu is there, grounding him as he takes the first pull, his hand warm and solid on his shoulder. It feels good, right, safe, even as Hiiro retreats into that instinctual mindset that he still isn’t completely comfortable with.

It’s different than it is with Kiriya. He doesn’t exactly feel the need to please Emu in the same way, though he still wants him to be comfortable and happy, of course. He feels a sort of… deference to him, though – a deep-seated trust that Emu will take care of him. It’s a little weird, but not nearly as alarming and overwhelming as the other feelings were, so he just lets it wash over him. He leans into Emu’s hand and closes his eyes, taking a deep breath as he finishes his meal. 

He glances to the side at Emu, his mouth still red as he leans in closer, their breath mingling together. 

“Can I kiss you?” he asks quietly, and Emu smiles and nods. He wrinkles his nose a little bit when they do kiss, though, and Hiiro realizes belatedly that his mouth probably tastes like blood, which likely isn’t actually pleasant to a half-normal person. But Emu doesn’t pull away, and he wraps one arm around Hiiro’s middle to pull him up against him, and Hiiro melts into his touch.

**Author's Note:**

> 'Work on one of the many fics you already have in progress, Ray!' I mean I could do that but also I got an idea bug and it wouldn't leave me alone so.


End file.
